Professor Frank Hegarty

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• Professor Frank Hegarty
• www.ircset.ie
• info_at_ircset.ie

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Summary

• Background and objectives of IRCSET (Science
  Engineering and Technology)
• Ensuring Quality (in first round grants)
• Quality the PhD Experience
• Quality Research Outputs

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Mission and Objectives of IRCSET

• The Council will promote excellence on a broad
  range of research in Science, Engineering and
  Technology. The emphasis will be on innovative
  and original scientific research which is aimed
  at generating new knowledge.
• Funding Activities
• Research Scholarships
• Postdoctoral Fellowships
• Projects, small teams
  

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NATIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEM
2002
Dr Don Thornhill
Mission Orientated Strategic SFI EI HRB
People Skills Knowledge (Human Capital)
Mission Orientated Function Marine Institute EP
A Teagasc
Investigator/Scholar (IRCSET, IRCHSS)
Institutional strategy (PRTLI)
Block Grant
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NATIONAL INNOVATION SYSTEM
2002
Dr Don Thornhill
REVIEW AND OVERSIGHT
Mission Orientated Strategic SFI EI HRB
People Skills Knowledge (Human Capital)
Mission Orientated Function Marine Institute EPA
Teagasc
Investigator/Scholar (IRCSET, IRCHSS)
Institutional strategy (PRTLI)
Block Grant
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Nature of Council

• Council is an independent and autonomous body
  funded by the Minister for Education Science
• The HEA provides administrative support to the
  Council in executing its mission
• "the new Council will oversee the spending of
  75m (Euro 95 m) on researchers and their
  projects and provide a timely boost to the
  development of an interest in and the practical
  outputs of science, engineering and technology.
  Our future competitiveness and international
  standing depend on our ability to innovate in
  these three important segments of our economy".
  Minister Woods, June 2001

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People Ideas

• Empowering individuals and small teams
• Primarily curiosity-driven
• No requirement for applicability
• Desire for IMPACT, pace
• Research Careers
• Reflect on debate relating to Relevance

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Background to EMBARK

• IRCSET has been in operation since November 2001
  95million to end NDP in 2006.
• Mission is to train researchers of the first rank
  and to promote excellence across a broad range of
  research in science, engineering and technology.
• Aims to invest in the development of the research
  community by supporting individual researchers
  and research students to excel in their chosen
  area.

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Sudden Impact-Quality vital
Ratio of Government Research Expenditure to GDP

• Rate of change
• Supply vs. Demand
• Large time-lags
• Need for mobility
• Nearly 10 of Euro 17.3 billion!

Indicators for benchmarking of national research
policies, European Commission 2001
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Quality and HE not new

• Professor Sir Ron Dearing Chairman, National
  Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (UK).
• The TIMES Education Supplement October 1997
• EUA Lisbon Conference 2000
• Inge Knudsen www.unige.ch/eua

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The Impact on Academic Institutions of Research
Evaluation Systems

• Main Conclusions
• Research evaluation has become an accepted fact
  of University life
• Universities have seen their advantage in being
  pro-actively involved in the evaluation process
• There is still widespread scepticism among
  researchers as to the utility of research
  evaluation
• Research evaluations are often not pre-defined
  with transparent criteria and clear aims and goals

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What is Quality

• Quality of Campus experience
• Quality of Teaching
• Research QualityFocus in my talk is on this last
  topic
• What constitutes research quality for
  Postgraduate development?

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EMBARK Quality first steps -1

• Postgraduate Scholarships
• Early application date
• Selection by Externs
• Academic preparation most important

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Scholarships
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EMBARK Quality first steps -2

• Postdoctoral Fellowships Projects

• International peers
• Fair review procedures
• Assessment committee, chaired by external
  member
• Appropriate feedback

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Selection and Monitoring

• Rigorous assessment
• External experts with broad experience
• Follow-up every year through annual report
• What carrot? Suffice to say that initiatives are
  under consideration.

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The PhD Experience 1

• Too dependent on the individual Supervisor
• Completion rates?
• Time to completion?
• Adequate funding (3- or 4-years)?
• Track record of Supervisor or Research Group?

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The PhD Experience 2

• Professionalise !
• Structured programmes
• Bids for linked projects?

Other drivers of quality

• Wellcome Trust Requirements
• HETAC Postgraduate Research Degrees
  www.hetac.ie
• PRTLI 3 undertakings

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Some elements of Quality

• Code of practice for postgraduate development
• Qualification of prospective supervisors
• Coursework, transferable skills
• Structured approach some element of training and
  common tools
• Allocation of resources to researchersSpace,
  equipment, mentoring
• Assured by Graduate Schools ?

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Measures for Research Outputs?

• Few would advocate a strict RAE approach
• Mapping What research is where? Is there
  critical mass in a discipline?
• Mapping research excellence in GermanyDr. Phil.
  Ulrich Schmoch Helsinki
  University 80 peer review teams
• Reporting research performance what parameters
  are tracked ERA link.

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Measures role of Universities?

• SFI Benchmarking
• Research Council Success who determines the
  research agenda?
• Need for unified approach (ownership)?
• UCD Output Based Budgets
• Review of NDP is timely opportunity
• Celebrating success is a more powerful tool than
  searching for flawed performance.

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Research in an Output Based University Budget

• Publications 40
• PhDs and Research Masters 30
• Competitive Research Funding 25
• Intellectual Property 5

But how do you compare publications across
Departments, Faculties?
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Clarity of objectives

• TOWARDS A CIVIC SCIENCE A MISSION FOR THE 21ST
  CENTURY Tánaiste www.ria.ie
• Non directed research has an objective!
• Resource allocation across disciplines
• Belief that the proportions with top-class PhDs
  must increase dramatically.

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Resources for Quality

• Must recognize achievements however
  infrastructural deficit exists (QA to QI)
• Key nature of Basic Research grant scheme
• ERC to what extent will vision be realized?
• ESF Interaction

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• Irelands EU Presidency 2004
• Research Quality as the central Theme?
  (OST/Forfas)

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Summary

• Objective measures long overdue. This does not
  mean that they are easy to obtain
• Given the level of investment, output will be
  assessed
• Universities should fully engage and drive the
  process
• Development of researchers (merit awards?) and
  the PhD experience (Structured?)
• Scientific excellence is the common denominator
  agreed measures